I said I had some big news, and I do!
One friend immediately texted me, “Are you pregnant? Is it twins?” To which I wanted to say, “Who do you think I am? I’m six weeks postpartum!” So, I’m sorry to those who were expecting pregnancy news (insert eye roll)…
I saw a post from Tony Evans this week that came at a perfect time. He said,
“You cannot confuse purpose with scope. Your giftedness is your giftedness no matter what the level of the scope is it’s being used at any particular time. So a person who has a gift, if they’re using it in a small place should still be using that gift in that place for the glory of God while praying for God to expend their territory…you’re in your purpose if God can use you in the gift He’s given you in the scope He has you in right now, while you’re trusting Him for a broader context for that gift to be used.”
Then today, I saw a quote by his daughter, Priscilla Schirer, which said, “Abraham lived out his trust in God by making plans to obey what he’d been told.”
I have known for the past few years that God wants me to tell the story of what He’s done in my life in the midst of loss and tragedy in recent years. I’ve tried to obey by sharing it both online and in person, and for a long time I prayed that if God wanted me to write a book (which I felt He was calling me to do), that He’d just arrange for a publisher to call me up, and they’d say something like, “Hey, we saw your blog. We want to make it a book.”
But I’m learning that sometimes, as Priscilla said, we have to MAKE plans to obey what He’s calling us to do.
You may not know this, but there are two ways to “get published.” First, you can self-publish a book on any topic you want. You could publish a book about space travel and no one would tell you that you don’t know anything about space travel. You pay the costs, and all the copies belong to you. Self-published books don’t normally sell as many copies as traditionally published books, and typically the market and resources for marketing are much smaller.
The other way to be published is the traditional way — through a publishing house. The author does not take on the cost — the publisher does — and there tends to be a wider reach, etc…but the road to the traditional publishing house is narrow. Very, very narrow. They won’t publish just any ol’ book on space travel, for instance.
My goal has never been to be a New York Times Best-seller. I am an ambassador for God, and I know God doesn’t care about best-sellers. He cares about obedience, and reaching people in their pain, and spreading His love through the knowledge and acceptance of Jesus into people’s hearts.
So, that’s my goal, too.
But I wanted to do this task the absolute best I could. I want this story — His story — to reach people. So I made plans to have the help of a writing coach, a man who knows the publishing industry with the hope of someday being published traditionally.
If you go the traditional publishing route, you can’t just send your writing to a publisher. It used to work that way, but not anymore. Now, you need to have an agent first. The agent represents your work and he/she takes it to publishers.
It’s a very competitive market — both to get an agent and to be published. It’s terrifying, really. I am not a competitive person! Just please, someone come tell me you want to represent me — I’m afraid of rejection and failure!
No one came. I had to go to them. I sent my proposal for the book (what it would be about) and parts of the manuscript (the actual writing) to a bunch of agents. I hoped there would be 27 who would want to sign me right then…but there weren’t. I waited. And waited. I second-guessed myself. Maybe I should have written that differently? Maybe I didn’t do everything I could have? Maybe this silly story won’t matter to anyone except the people who know me?
But then, one day, I got an email: “We would like to have a phone call with you about representation.”
My jaw dropped open! Don’t get too excited, Molly. No one has signed anything yet. They have to want to represent me out of the many requests they get a day — no small task.
Later that week, I talked on the phone with two of the agents from this agency. They love Jesus, and they are really excited about this story. They are professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.
Their goal: to encourage people with stories like mine! And they want to represent my book!
And so, the big news is: I GOT AN AGENT!! (Sorry if you were hoping for a baby.) This is huge, a major first step toward getting this story published.
Now, I hesitated telling you this part. Isn’t it more exciting to just say, “I’m getting published!” when and if that happens? Yes. However, I need you, my Home Team.
That was step #1: Get an Agent. Step #2 (Get a Publisher) is even bigger. And harder.
So I’m asking you, my Home Team, to pray. This book, this story, will go in front of editors beginning in February.
I want what the Lord wants.
I can’t deny how vulnerable I feel, especially by sharing this with you in writing. I was okay with writing vulnerably when it came to losing Tage, because I had no control over it. It wasn’t my fault. And I knew, with God, I couldn’t lose.
But this…this is me trying to do something, to make plans. I’m bringing this project I’ve been writing for years, and they might tell me it’s not good enough.
But He whispered, “No. I have brought you to this place.”
So this is still God doing something. And with God, I still can’t lose.
So, friends. Please join me in prayer that God will continue to use this story to impact whomever He wants, that this project would be whatever God wants it to be, not just what I want.
It’s terrifying, but sometimes we live out our trust by making plans about what we’ve been told by Him.
Big. Bold. Terrifying. But, here we go….
And I wonder, what has He called you to do? You’re scared. You might fail. But if God has called you to it, He won’t let you fail. What is one way YOU could live out your trust in Him by making plans?